The Chesterfield football history resource

Marcus
came through Everton’s apprenticeship scheme but was freed to Peterborough
United without being given a sniff of first-team football. After close to 150
league games for Posh, the former Welsh under-21 international joined
Chesterfield for around £100,000 in the middle of their epic 1997 FA Cup run.
He was cup-tied, but he made an immediate impression at Saltergate with his
vision, imaginative passing and wicked, curling free-kicks. Marcus became the
foundation on which Chesterfield built a more elegant and patient approach to
the attacking side of their game as the side was gradually transformed from one
constructed to win promotion from the fourth tier into one capable of holding
its own in the tier above.

An
astute reader of play, he brought team-mates into the game well, and was a
useful man at set pieces with his dead ball skills and long throw. His
willingness to play the ball out of defence occasionally caused butterflies in
Spireite stomachs, though! There was a harder, determined side to his game that
emerged when the need arose.

Injuries
gradually reduced Marcus's effectiveness but not before he'd scored one of the
cleverest goals to be seen at the Kop end in a long time, against Rochdale in the League Cup. As the ball came in from his left
Marcus, stood near the penalty spot, took the ball with his right foot and shot
home with his left, without letting the ball go to ground.

When
his Chesterfield spell finished Marcus joined Leyton Orient, whose fans and
chairman - without the slightest trace of irony - appeared to accept him
despite their vehement and very public criticism of the Chesterfield team of
2000-1, of which Marcus was a leading member. After only four months there,
though, he drifted into non-league football, with Conference side Tamworth.

After
a year out of football Marcus joined Alfreton Town in June 2006 and was
appointed their Manager during the 2006-7 season. Poor results in the run-in to
the season's end saw him replaced by a former team-mate in Nicky Law: Marcus
returned to Tamworth to coach their youngsters. After a spell at Atherstone
Marcus moved on to become player/assistant manager to Spalding.